BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Tristan Jones grew up in Australia and, as a kid, it was almost mandatory to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. Little did he dream when he was playing with action figures or watching the cartoons that one day he'd get the chance to pen his own adventures of these iconic superstars. Jones has written a handful of issues of the Mirage Studios' Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and is going to shed some light on a favorite supporting player in their universe, Casey Jones.

THE PULSE: OK just about everyone except maybe some monks in Tibet have heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What is it about this group of heroes that you enjoyed the most when you were younger, playing with action figures?

TRISTAN JONES: They were pretty sweet action figures, weren’t they? That would’ve been a part of it back then (all my mates were into it, so everyone was playing Turtles at the time) but for me then I think the biggest kick I got out of the Turtles was that first movie. Because I live in Australia, we tended to get some things a little bit behind you guys in the States, so we didn’t get the Turtles cartoons or figures until a year or two after they first hit.

We did get the comics though, and I remember seeing one of the collected editions in a bookstore in the late Eighties and just being completely wowed by all this dark, black and white art and the abundance of dinosaur men (the Triceratons). I kinda came into it all liking the villains more than anything, and it wasn’t until I had read through it properly a few times that I started to get into the four Turtles themselves.

And seeing as the movie was probably more closely related to these comic books I was into than the actual toys or cartoon, that was really exciting for me.

THE PULSE: How was reading the original comic books different than what was unfolding in the cartoons and movies?

JONES: Oh, it was completely different! The cartoons kind of took what happens in the comics on a very basic level, made in much more appropriate and accessible for young children and then pretty much went about things its own way.

There was no Rocksteady, Bebop, Krang, Baxter Stockman never turned into a fly-man, the Shredder was dead after the first issue. It was different in the same way as seeing Tim Burton’s “Batman” was different to watching reruns of the Adam West stuff. I used to love both, but they were in two completely different worlds, and I always kind of dug the darker looking stuff.

When the first Turtles movie came around, I loved it. It was closer to what I was used to from the Turtles, before we got the cartoon show. The second movie was fun, but at that point, the Turtlemania that spun out of the cartoon’s popularity probably at its peak, and was less in line with the comics (unless you were reading the Archie material).

THE PULSE: How did you get the chance to go from being a fan of the Turtles to writing their new adventures?

JONES: I was in my last year of studying Film and Television, and at the time I was reviewing video games and movies for a website here in Australia for some extra cash (and free movies and games!). The editor at the time wanted to expand what we were putting out there, so I suggested maybe do some comic book reviews. He agreed, so we did a few and after a while I came into correspondence with Mike Hawthorn (Unmen, currently on IDW’s GI JOE: Origins) and Steve Murphy, who at the time was the managing editor over at Mirage Publishing.

After a few emails about comics, screenplays and just things in general, Murph asked me if I’d ever tried writing for comics. At the time, I’d really only just had a stab here and there for fun, but he suggested I try writing one and he’d give me some pointers. I wrote up the first draft for what eventually became Tales of the TMNT #36, not really expecting it to go the places it did.

I’ve been writing issues here and there since!


THE PULSE: When you were thinking about that first pitch, what elements did you feel were essential to the TMNT mythos that had to be included?

JONES: I really, really wanted it to be as true as it could possibly be to the original Eastman and Laird run, but I also wanted to bring something new to the Turtles universe. In spite of all the crazy shit that goes down in the Turtles comics, there’s always this air of reality to everything that grounds it all, and that was something I wanted to really push, so that first pitch was all about looking at the Turtles world through the eyes of a very grounded third party -- the NYPD.


It came down largely to that gritty, Frank Miller kind of storytelling that it was originally taking the piss out of. While it was originally meant as a joke, it kind of became a staple in the comics. The most memorable stories in the Eastman and Laird run kept returning to that same grounded, gritty storytelling, and that was something that I felt had been missing for a while, so that was also really important for me in that first pitch. I think anyone that’s read Tales #36 will be able to see that, too!


There’s also this idea of having to deal with the repercussions of one’s actions that has been evident in the Turtles comics since they killed the Shredder in the first issue, so that was something else I wanted to examine to some extent.


THE PULSE: Why do you think a darker edge works with a comic like this -- especially since it's the opposite of what people expect who just know the TMNT from their television incarnations?

JONES: I think the Turtles world just lends itself to that sort of storytelling. Particularly the way it’s all set up in the comics. If you removed the Turtles from the picture altogether, or switched them out for four normal dudes who were brought up in similar circumstances, you’d have a really great crime drama book on your hands. I also think comic book audiences tend to be more accepting of telling stories that deal with these completely bizarre characters and situations than your average TV viewer. I think the core concept just lends itself to so many different styles of storytelling that you can pretty much get away with telling any kind of TMNT story, but these harder edged, somewhat more reality based stories seem to connect with people more. I always get a kick out of hearing people talking about how they always wanted to see a darker take on the TMNT, and then finding out about what goes on in the comics.


THE PULSE: How do you think your background gave you an edge telling these kinds of stories that a writer who hadn't had any formal training might not have?

JONES: As in the Film and TV stuff? I think that going from training as a filmmaker and screenwriter helped a great deal, just in terms of structuring arcs and breaking them down episodically. There’s still a big difference between a screenplay and a comic script, and I think with comics there’s more room for experimentation in storytelling. The last script I wrote for the Turtles (which is November’s issue) is completely different to any of the other issues I’ve written, but I don’t think I could have written that without having written the others first, so you’re always learning.


Something I have noticed is that a lot of the time when talking about story ideas with people who might not have a background in writing -- particularly in areas like film and comics, I see or hear stories where significant chunks of what I consider important in really making a story resonate are missing. Things like foreshadowing and certain areas of character development. Admittedly, when you’re writing for a book and the majority of the stories are done-in-one’s it’s can be a little harder to get those things in, but as both a writer with some level of knowledge and fan you can see what works and what doesn’t.


THE PULSE: Speaking of learning, TMNT fans are going to be discovering some of the background of Casey Jones in Tales # 56 and # 59, right? How did you come up with some of the secrets behind the curtain of this character?


JONES: Well, it actually had more to do with the character we brought into the comics than it did actually sitting there and thinking “what can we do to Casey Jones?”


When I originally pitched this story, it involved the introduction of a new villain who was based on a character in the recent animated series. In Tales #36, I hinted at this situation where all the gangs and criminal syndicates are starting to make power-plays against each other in the vacuum created by the death of the Shredder and the “reformation” of the Foot Clan, and this new villain would step in as this almost indestructible brute force and pretty much take the city and the underworld by the throat.

He was this character that was based on the character of Hun, from the recent animated show, but every time I saw what he was doing on the show, I was always like “Man, it’d be awesome if he could do this…!” and all sorts of other things that just wouldn’t fly on a kids TV show. Basically it was me taking the basic concept of this character and reforming it to make him really reach the potential he deserves. This dude on the show was always capable of being a bigger threat than the Shredder, so I took all these ideas and mashed them together to make this villain. When I pitched it and we were discussing the story with Peter Laird, he could see the similarities between the two characters, but also saw the potential the character could have in being translated across to the comics. It basically came down to “let’s call him Hun, but keep all your ideas”, which I was really excited about, because Hun in the show came with this really great back story that was simply too good to ignore, and while it’s not quite as explicit or nasty as what happens in the comic, it goes along the same lines.

THE PULSE: I know Peter Laird has to be influencing your writing of the TMNT, but what, outside the typical realm of influences, is affecting how you put this story together?

JONES: I think there’s always going to be some sort of personal experience that’s going to influence every writer’s work and this is no exception. There’s an element to the new way we’re presenting Casey Jones that holds some very personal significance to me, but it’s not quite the obvious “I’m going to draw on my own tragic experience to write this bit” sort of thing. It’s more of a tangential thinking that stemmed from me looking back at certain things in my own development and the experiences of some people close to me that went into this revelation that Casey Jones had a lot of potential to go certain directions in life, it was just this tragic event that robbed him of that potential.


I could run off lists of books, comics or movies that influence all different parts of this story, and the parts that follow but with this issue in particular, I think the way to make certain things resonate is by putting that little bit of reality into the story, even if it’s only a minor, minor element in the grander scheme of things. It all adds up in the end I guess, and I know that this story in particular kind of grew around a very small idea. All the other influences came in and added to that as I was plotting it around that first idea.

THE PULSE: Why do you think a character like Casey Jones has such a following in the TMNT world, especially when a few other, more colorful characters who were introduced seem to have just fallen by the wayside?

JONES: I think it varies. I know some people just love him for being that slightly psychotic nut job that goes around beating up thugs like a homebrew Frank Castle, but I think one of the main reasons is that he’s such an accessible character in this really very strange world. He’s the only really “normal” person in the cast that people can kind of identify with, and there are times in the books where even he struggles to grasp what’s going on in this world around him.

THE PULSE: I think April was normal ....

JONES: She was, but there was a slightly controversial revelation in Peter’s Volume 4 stories (that take place in a not too distant future) that saw April discover that she’s actually more of a construct than a natural human being. It never made her any less of a person, and is actually a rather interesting development character-wise, but I do know that it resulted in some fan backlash and took some of that accessibility away from some readers.

THE PULSE: Wow that totally makes me look at her differently now. So since you know TMNT inside and out, what do you think are the top five stories or tradepaperbacks essential to understanding what makes the Heroes in a Half-Shell tick?

JONES: I know that July 14th is the release date of something anyone wanting to get into the real TMNT is going to want to check out. Mirage is finally releasing an omnibus style collected edition of the first eleven Eastman and Laird comics, which will also include the four character based one-shots that were released back in the day. This pretty much lays it all out for everyone, April, Casey, the whole deal with the Shredder… pretty much everything you need to get a good grasp on what the comics are all about is going to be in this book, and I think it’s the first time these issues have been collected in nearly twenty years…



There are a couple of really important arcs that I think people should try and track down if they really want to get a complete grasp on everything that’s going on with the Turtles right now. In the original Eastman and Laird run, #19-21 was the big “Return to New York” story, in which the Shredder is dealt with once and for all, and is probably the most memorable arc for me personally. I don’t think the issues are that hard to track down, and I know it was collected a while back but unfortunately Mirage haven’t yet reprinted that story. Same goes for the epic “City At War” arc, which is probably the ultimate TMNT story.


It was basically the conclusion to the original Eastman and Laird run, and was absolutely epic. It dealt with what happened to the Foot Clan after the death of the Shredder, and was just absolutely choc-a-block with really great character development. April and Casey fall out with each other and the Turtles in some ways, Casey winds up with a little girl, Splinter has this incredible side story going on that involves the Rat King… There’s just so much in this big arc (the whole thing ran from #48 through to #62, so it was huge) and it’s a real shame it hasn’t been collected yet. Hopefully, if the sales are good with the omnibus then these stories will get the TPB treatment too, because I think these are just as important as those first few stories.


This story that I’ve been telling with Tales #56 (and if people can find it, #36 too) stems out of the whole situation presented in City at War, so it’s definitely one of the most important ones in my mind.


Mirage also released a collected edition of the original volume of Tales of the TMNT, which was written by Jim Lawson and Ryan Brown back in the day, which I think is important for anyone to track down as well. They’re great little one off stories, but they also introduced a number of characters who would become really important to the whole comics universe, such as Leatherhead, the Rat King and the vigilante Nobody. I think you can still order this from Mirage’s official website, so definitely check it out!

THE PULSE: How does it feel to have conversations with Peter Laird? I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like to be casually just talking with someone you've admired like that ... and working on characters he helped make household names!

JONES: Initially, it was one of the most intimidating things I’d ever experienced! Something I don’t think a lot of people realize is that the cons in Australia are absolutely nothing in comparison to the ones you guys have. I went to my first San Diego Comic Con in 2006 and my mind was absolutely blown! All these creators that I admired and just devoured back home were all right there, and to a lot of Americans, it’s kind of old hat, because they see a lot of these pro’s at other cons. Anyway, when I went to New York Comic Con last year, that was the first time I met Peter (and most of the other Mirage Crew, actually), which was a really big deal for me. I’d met Kevin the year before at San Diego, and he was one of the nicest dudes a person could meet, but for some reason the notion of actually meeting Peter was kind of daunting. I think it might have had something to do with him being the guy that ultimately said yes or no to what you were bringing to the table so to speak, and at the time, my only contact with Peter was through Steve Murphy, who was my editor on my first comic at Mirage, and Dan Berger, who has been the editor there since.


To be honest, I don’t really recall what I was expecting but in all honesty I don’t think anyone could ask to meet a nicer guy, and what was kinda weird (for me anyway) was that I think he had about as many questions for me about where I was coming from and what I was into and all that, as I did for him! I remember we all went and had dinner after one of the days at NYCC and we were just talking about comics, and our influences were and all that sort of stuff like anyone else would, and any kind of worries I had before meeting him just went completely out the window. It really was just like talking to any of my mates back home, and it was the same with all the guys at Mirage, who I was just as nervous to meet at the time as well.


THE PULSE: Who's drawing your issues of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

JONES: I’m extremely fortunate to have the uber-talents of Paul Harmon carrying me here. Paul had previously published his own book “Mora” through Image, and had worked with Rick Remender on “Sea of Red” couple of years back, he did all the art on my previous issues at Mirage(#36 and #50), and will also be doing the art in the story that follows up on this one in #59. One of the best things about living on the other side of the world is waking up to an inbox with his artwork waiting in it! He just hits everything so perfectly, pretty much exactly the way I see it when I write it that it’s a little bit creepy sometimes!


I’m actually really excited about #59 because we finally get to bring in this villain that Paul and I created a while back but never got the chance to use until now. He’s this really kinda creepy kingpin style character, and I’m dying to see what Paul’s done with him in this story!

After #59, I’ll be working with Andres Ponce, who I worked with on some TMNT stuff over at Titan in the UK, and who also does the art for Brendan McGinley’s “Heist”. It’s the next little part of the story I’m telling (which is also a follow up of sorts to Tales #50). He’s got a drastically different art style to Paul, but the pencils he’s sent me so far are amazingly cool! There’s a real DC kind of feel to his artwork that’s added this whole new element to the story that I’m really, really loving! I’m also a really big Batman reader, and there are some things I’ve seen in there so far that have made me squeal with delight!


After, my last story for the anniversary year will be drawn by TMNT legend, Jim Lawson, which is a huge honor for me. I was meant to work with him a couple of times before, but his own workload meant that couldn’t happen. It’s something a little different to what’s come before in terms of Turtles tales, and it’s a big change of pace from the stories I think the Turtles fans are used to from me, so I’m hoping people dig that when it hits. I think Jim has a few more issues to wrap up first and then he’ll start on that one. Can’t wait for that one!


THE PULSE: When is your next issue of the series in stores?

JONES: The next issue is slated for roughly mid June I think, so it should be in Previews next week. There’s a little run down of it over at the official TMNT website under the comics section. It’s kind of taking a look at things from the point of view of a journalist, and there’s no real need to have picked up any Turtles stuff before. If you know the comics (particularly the stories Paul and I have done) then that’s a bonus, but you can probably get away with not having read a single Turtles comic in your life and not feel completely lost, because we set up a lot of new things in that issue.


THE PULSE: Very cool. What other projects in or out of comics are you working on lately?


JONES: I’m actually a contributing writer and artist for Cereal: Geek Magazine, so I’m doing some Ghostbusters related stuff over there, along with a few other things I grew up with (anybody remember Dino Riders, or Captain N?). I think anyone outside of the UK has to go through Grahamcrackers.com to order that though.


I’m actually a little bummed, as I found out I just missed out on a gig at IDW that would have been an absolute dream gig for me, but these things happen. Outside of that, I’m about a quarter of the way through scripting a western horror book which I’m hoping to find an artist for sometime soon, Andres and I have been discussing a science fiction book to work on together after Turtles, and I’ve just started the art on my own book which is kind of a look at relationships between groups of friends but there’s this …thing… that happens and you start seeing how those kinds of relationships break down (or grow stronger) under extreme circumstances.


So at the moment it’s all just a matter of keeping myself busy until someone takes notice of me! Hopefully the sales of TMNT pick up a bit so we can continue telling the stories into next year, but all those decisions get made later in the year. I have a blog where I post bits and pieces of art and little updates on what I’m working on which people can check out at tristanhuwjones.blogspot.com, and I’m also on twitter and all that so I’m not hard to find!

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Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 56 should be in stores this month.